BELIEVER (2024) is a new horror thriller with a cult and sci-fi element. A strong story and a small cast make for a great result. It even has a few twists and turns that manage to surprise. Read our full Believer movie review here!
BELIEVER (2024) is a cult horror and sci-fi thriller. The kind that offers both psychological creepiness and jump scares. A movie that I expected to like, but ended up being downright impressed with.
With a runtime of 1 hour and 47 minutes, I was worried it could drag out a bit too long. However, there is enough story there to suit this runtime. Also, I enjoyed each and every character portrayal from this small cast.
Continue reading our Believer movie review below. Find it In Theaters and On Demand from September 13, 2024.
A solid choice for watching on its Friday the 13th release date, I might add!
Familiar yet very unique
There’s something about Believer that felt strangely familiar to me. Maybe it’s just all the movies (and documentaries), I’ve watched about cults and cult leaders. Or perhaps it’s because it has a vibe that I know and love from other productions.
In Believer, we meet a young woman named Kate (Ella Ballentine). She’s a writer trying to understand how a cult leader managed to convince 53 of his followers to kill someone and then take their own life afterward.
The cult leader, Marshall Grayson (Kris Holden-Reid), is on trial as a mass murderer due to the actions of his followers. At his sentencing, he suddenly attacks the young writer.
A very intriguing mystery
When Kate wakes up from the attack, she claims to have no memory of the attack. Because everyone saw him whispering something in her ear, the police are now very interested in finding out was his message was. She just cannot remember.
As time passes, everyone from the police detectives to the media and even her family questions her motives. Could it be that she cannot remember? Or is she under the spell of this cult leader as well?
Living with her estranged sister, Michelle (Lauren Lee Smith), her niece Ella (Ilan O’Driscoll), and her brother-in-law, David (Peter Mooney), Kate tries to finish her book about the cult leader. However, she’s also acting increasingly strange.
We see that she is getting brutal and very real hallucinations that are impossible to differentiate from reality, so we understand why. Meanwhile, her brother-in-law is worried about his wife and daughter as Kate acts out even more violently.
Watch Believer in theaters or on demand!
The writer and director of Believer is Sheldon Wilson, and I really love his style. There’s a darkness to this story, yet the characters are all nuanced. We’re left wondering and can (to some extent) choose what to believe.
Don’t worry, there is a definitive ending to the story. It’s just that this movie still has an ending that you can interpret according to your own beliefs.
The whole cult and sci-fi element reminded me of movies such as the brilliant 1998 movie Fallen. Even a movie like It Follows in terms of how our main protagonist feels isolated and haunted even when surrounded by people.
A more recent comparison could be When Evil Lurks (2023) even though the stories differ wildly. I’m just referring to the vibe. In either case, I would definitely recommend checking this out for your Friday the 13th entertainment.
BELIEVER is out In Theaters and On Demand on September 13, 2024.
Details
Directed by: Sheldon Wilson
Written by: Sheldon Wilson
Cast: Lauren Lee Smith, Ella Ballentine, Peter Mooney, Martin Roach, Ilan O’Driscoll, Jonathan Potts, Kris Holden-Ried
Plot
A young writer is attacked by a notorious cult leader and mass murderer, a man who exerts inexplicable control over his followers. When she claims no memory of the attack, her family begins to question her motives.
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